Darkness Ascending
by Redd Demonix
Summary: He'd lost all of his friends. And now Adam was on the edge of the abyss himself. He saw the darkness ascending - and that is why she chose him to be her champion. / Various Youtubers / OC Warning / Rewrite / OCs Accepted /
1. Before the Storm :: Prologue

Adam sighed deeply. Over the past few weeks, he had fallen into a state of depression. One by one, with each passing week, his friends had gone missing, the last being one of his best buddies, Ty. Now the house he once shared with all of his friends lay in silent misery, too still and quiet for his liking. The dust had long since settled over everything, blanketing the world in a suffocating closeness. How Adam longed to simply have his good buddies back where they belonged. The police had long since ceased their searching, and it had been just that day that they sent an officer by.

He remembered little about the cop that had come to his door bearing the regretful news, save for a single feature that startled him when he first noticed it – her eyes had been a solid milky white, with no pupil or iris to be distinguished. His mind had been, at the time, on the news she relayed to him: the police department could no longer search for his friends, and no further search parties would be issued to investigate the disappearances. He asked for her name, and she told him simply to call her Redd. Such a simple name, but it stuck out like a sore thumb along with her alabaster eyes. As he turned away from the door and issued a deep sigh, the brunet pushed the woman's appearance out of his mind and ambled up the stairs with a blank stare.

Adam had begun to notice that it wasn't just his friends that were being abducted – random strangers, all of whom seemed to be subscribers of his channel, were also feeling the effects of disappearance. It would have enraged him, if he had had the energy. Just the thought that anyone with even the smallest connection to him was becoming a victim. _Almost,_ he thought, _makes me feel like I'm to blame._

He moved in such a way that he did not disturb much of anything – stepping over the stray shirt on the stairs, maneuvering around the mattress pushed out of place into his path, and even going so far as to jump over the pile of dirty laundry in the hall to avoid changing any evidence of his friends' existence. He was beginning to doubt it himself. It would be a lie to say that the loneliness and quiet wasn't driving him even a little mad. Adam entered his room, the only room that had been actually touched over the past few days since Ty's disappearance. His computer sat at the far end of the room, against the wall on his desk. It too bore the heavy layer of dust that betrayed his neglect of the machine; he hadn't used it since the disappearances started, and it was showing. Sometimes, he'd find an insatiable desire to get on and play Minecraft to take his mind off of the silence but it only reminded him that there was no reason to, what good would it do to play alone when he'd become so used to having the company of his friends.

The game, he realized, had become too painful to bear.

Instead of trying to force himself to eat or read or really do anything to take his mind off of the news the police officer – what _was_ she, to have had eyes like that – Adam simply fell into bed and rolled over, bringing the blankets over his shoulder as he went. His weary brown eyes slipped shut without hesitation and he found himself standing on the edge of sleep, its welcoming warmth beckoning to him and dragging him under. As he slipped off into unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was those _god-awful_ white eyes, like smooth painted marbles boring into his soul. He wanted to shut them out, but they were still there. Simply staring. Contemplating. Judging him as if he were a convict of murder on death row.

Then there were teeth, sharpened and white like a shark's maw, closing in on his very subconscious with a satisfying _snap_ as he felt a numbness take him. And when morning came, the dawn pink and orange across the sky and only slightly marred by white wisps of cloud, Adam lay in a death-like stillness, his limbs spread-eagled as he lay flat on the bed.

Adam did not wake.

* * *

**Author's Note / RE: OCs Accepted**

_Welcome to my first story, a rewrite/revamp of the once popular story "A Game" on my previous account Blood-Dusk. In desiring a new start, I decided to rewrite a fic that I very much enjoyed writing to start me off. And I'd like to say thank you to all of those who have read the predecessor to "Darkness Ascending" as it means a lot to me, especially if you left a few nice words in the reviews. _

_I'm an amateur writer, I suppose you could say. I'm not the best. My chapters should range anywhere between 1000-3000 words but if not, its likely that I simply had very little to say. Expect more in the next chapter in such cases. _

_Just as in "A Game," I am accepting OCs to appear in the story, although I'd like to make this very specific, I do have rules when it comes to this topic. _

_Please do not put your OC application in the reviews. Please._

_Please do not throw a fit if I do not accept your OC._

_EDIT: Also, please do not request for your OC to be related to/romatically involved with any other character UNLESS it is an OC and you have the creator's permission._

_I moderate guest reviews and if you are a guest with an OC application, it will be deleted unless you give an account name or email to contact you by, after which the review will be deleted. _

_As for the actual form itself, here you go._

_Name and Nicknames:_

_Gender and Pronouns:_

_Sexuality/Romantic Preference: (I should note that this does not mean a character you'd like your OC to be romantically involved with.) (ex. straight, gay, bisexual, panromantic, aromantic, etc.)_

_Appearance:_

_Personality:_

_An Item in Minecraft that describes them: (cannot choose emerald, ender eye, gold sword, or nether star.)_

_Weapon Preference: (Sword, Pick, Axe, Bow)_

_Preferred Enchantment: (__Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Knockback, Fire Aspect, Looting, Unbreaking, Fortune_)

_Armor Preference: (Heavy, Medium, Light, Robe)_

_Preferred Enchantment: (__Protection, Fire Protection, Feather Falling, Blast Protection, Projectile Protection, Respiration, Aqua Infinity, Thorns, Unbreaking_)

_Current Faction: (Sky Army, Squid Army, and Nether Army are available at the moment.)_

_Previous Faction: (Leave blank if none)_

_Notes/Extra information:_


	2. Open Your Eyes :: Chapter One

When Adam awoke, there was an uncanny difference between the room he was in currently than the one he fell asleep in – not that he could tell right away, of course. There was something about being bound, gagged, blindfolded and suspended in midair by an unknown force that left the feeling of almost cold liquid just touching the surface of the skin that Adam found he did _not _like at all. Once he'd regained enough consciousness to become aware of his situation, he was livid. The flight or fight response in his mind activated and he began to thrash about in his bindings, bringing the sound of sloshing water from all around and above it all a voice.

The tone of whoever was speaking remained calm, lulling Adam into a still state, much to his chagrin. A hand pressed against the back of his head and the blindfold disappeared, allowing him to view the stark white ceiling above. Then, a brown-haired girl with smooth as marble alabaster eyes stepped into his vision. Adam's blood ran cold; he had begun to realize her identity. She was Redd, the police officer who had come to his house to deliver her news that his friends would not be found. He would have scolded her, demanding answers if not for the blob of what almost felt like semi-solid putty in his mouth. Her voice clouded his mind, as she almost seemed to be half-singing, half-chanting. Though he could not understand the foreign words that came from her mouth and rang with an almost growling snarl, he could recognize that her gaze had shifted from him to the ceiling above, her arms raised above him.

The room crackled with static electricity as it flowed into her hands, which she then dropped from the air onto his chest, sending the electric shock running through his body. He trembled, helpless as bursts of blinding pain erupted throughout him, almost blocking rational thought. A blank whiteness settled over his mind as he became suddenly numb, but was aware of the shaking, the shocking, and the pain. It almost seemed, in that moment, that he was distant. When he opened his eyes again, having closed them from the pain, he realized that he was looking at his body from her eyes, watching his own form shake and tremble with convulsions as waves of electricity racked the human body. And when the eyes of his body opened, they were smooth pools of unbroken white, much like the eyes of the policewoman herself. Then a brief darkness, and his eyesight was his own again.

It seemed that whatever it was the woman had done had actually drained her of energy, as she reeled back and nearly collapsed to her knees. With a determined grunt, she stood again and stared over him, muttering softly as the blob-like gag dissipated and his bindings followed suit, dropping him unceremoniously onto the floor with the feeling of being pushed through a wall of gelatin. He dropped to the floor, sitting up slowly while rubbing at his limbs and posterior, trying to coax the soreness out of them. The white-eyed woman watched from where she stood, falling silent at last. The quiet did not last long, however – Adam spoke aloud, breaking the temple-like quiet of the white room.

"What the hell…where am I? W-who are you?" he demanded, attempting to stand as the substance he'd been bound in earlier evaporated like a cloud. The policewoman shook her head. "I've given you a name to call me by. It is Redd, in case you've forgotten. Redd Demonix." Redd watched him struggle to stand up for a few moments before extending a hand. Adam hesitated, but took it and allowed her to pull him up, the sharp nails of her hands digging into his skin. "As for your location, you are…here. Yet, you are also nowhere. This place does not exist, not really. It is simply a figment of your imagination – as is my appearance. I do not truly exist, not in this form. My true appearance is too terrible for you to conceive in your mind's eye, so you allow me to take a familiar human form. A select few have ever been able to see me. You'll find, however, that you'll come to be one of them, after what I've done to you." For a moment, Adam was confused, running a hand through his curly brown hair, but he realized that she was referring to the electricity that had overtaken his body.

"What the…what the hell did you do to me?!" he snarled, moving to jump at her. She simply sidestepped, letting him leap past her. "If you seek those answers, I suggest you awaken your eyes. See me for who I truly am."

Confusion flashed across Adam's face. "What?" he questioned. There were clearly more words he had intended to say, but the sound died in his throat with a sharp gasp; his eyes were illuminated by a bright white light. When the blindness faded, Redd had gone.

In her place was a monstrosity; it was humanoid in shape, like a silhouette of the woman it had once been. The torso was longer, however, boney with thin arms and long legs, skeletal in appearance, with taut skin blacker than night and massive wings that stretched like storm clouds – dark, forbidding, terrible – and horns that spiraled from midnight-black hair. Two hands with long, lithe fingers tipped with ebony claws sharper than razor-points clenched and unclenched as if feeling the still air; the creature's feet were long and reptile-like with claws identical to those on the hands that scraped at nonexistent white floor. A dragon-like tail snaked from the slender monster's form and ended in a massive blade. Six white eyes peered outward from the humanoid head, glinting mischievously, while a tongue - long and lean and dripping with saliva – snaked over almost-nonexistent lips.

And Redd _grinned. _"See, now? That wasn't so hard. I hope I haven't frightened you, Adam…or, as your wardrobe indicates, should I call you Sky?" Adam was so stunned by her transformation that he almost – keyword, _almost_ – missed her comment. He was almost afraid to look away from the demon to confirm what she had said, but he spared a momentary glance anyways. The split second glimpse was all he needed. Sure enough, whatever it was that she had done to him had actually changed what he was wearing! Rather than the black tee and dark grey sweatpants he fell asleep in and, as far as he was aware, been in the entire time, his wardrobe had changed. Comfortable clothing was traded in for a grey and black uniform plated with similar-toned armor. His feet, bare before, now bore dark red boots and his hands were encased in black gloves with silver trim. A pair of sunglasses had perched themselves on his head, held in place by his curly hair.

"H-how did you – what –" The demon cut him off, not allowing him to finish his garbled and stutter-strewn sentences.

"I'll explain in due time. What you need to know at the moment is this: I am not a monster. I need your help. My world is in danger and the people down there are from your world, and they need you." She said very seriously, a ball of fire appearing between her palms as she drew them together in front of her. "I'll explain more when I can. For now, accept this." She held out to him an amulet that emerged from the fire, with a flawless amethyst encased in a gold setting on a sturdy chain.

"Over time you'll find that you are much more than a mere human, now. You're a Champion. My Champion, to be specific." She smiled eagerly, allowing the amulet to drift form between her hands to clasp around his neck. Adam breathed in deeply, trying to process all this information.

_The people down there are from your world…_

_They need you…_

He looked up, eyes flashing a pale snowy white. Before he could say anymore, the white expanse around him was fraying at the edges, pooling into a smoky black that eventually consumed all light. Redd blended in with this growing darkness, or perhaps she simply wasn't there. Adam remembered falling, the wind through his hair, and seeing the faint purple glow of the amethyst in his amulet suspended above him as the ground far below rushed up to meet him.

_From your world…_

Before the ground collided with him, Adam remembered seeing fleeting images of his friend's faces.

Ty, Jason, and the others – they were trapped in Redd's world.

_They need you..._

* * *

**Author's Note / RE: Chapter One Complete**

_That wraps up chapter one! For any who have read the original and had OCs in it, if you'd still like for me to use them then **please do not hesitate to PM me**. I promise I don't bite. _

_Also, just a reminder that I accept most if not all OCs and any problems with the form will be discussed. I still need about nine Sky Army OCs, ten Squid Army OCs, and ten Nether Army OCs. If you have any questions/ideas you'd like to share/concerns/etc then, again, **please PM me! **_

_Leave a nice review if you enjoyed!_


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